Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Excuse my ignorance if this question has already been answered elsewhere, but l just wondered what people's reasons might be for doing this? To me it's very interesting when reading a review of something l've tried & liked myself, to see what else they have that might be worth trying. Also it's just nice to see what l have in common with others on here. This isn't a criticism as l'm sure there must be good reasons, just honest curiosity! Can anyone help? How do other people feel about this?

​​"What is this secret connection between the soul, and sea, clouds and perfumes? The soul itself appears to be sea, cloud and perfume..." - from Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

I can't answer your question,teardrop,just wanted to add that I also love sneaking peeks into others wardrobes.Along with reading reviews here on Basenotes,it helps me to plot and scheme about my next purchase very frequently!

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

I barely ever look at other people's wardrobes. I assume that they may be as out of date as my own. Listing and updating a wardrobe is hard work unless you start with a few and record them as you collect, but if you start with a lot and have hundreds of samples it can be frustrating. To list samples and small decants as well as bottles? Perhaps I'll do it one day, but not soon.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

I love to fiddle with my wardrobe, it's always up to date.
and I enjoy snooping around in others, too.

As for somebody not showing theirs, well, I have one possible explanation;
most collectors are notoriously private, and affraid to get their collections
stolen. I live in Denmark, not alot of basenoters here, but if I was British or
American, and had made several trades, so that lots of ppl had my address,
I'd be paranoid enough to think, that somebody might talk over themselves
somewhere ... sounds crazy, I know, but it could be the reason that some
haven't got their drobes visible?!
Imagine if somebody, maybe a semi-crucked personage, in desperate need of
cash, remembers Le Grand Duc's emmense parfume collection worth thousands
and thousands of dollars, and knows where it's located ... well, desperate ppl
do desperate things, need I say more?!

I collect all kinds of (expensive) crap, and I never let strangers into my realm!

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

I see your point, Duc. I don't have a vintage wardrobe, alas, just a handful of tiny decants from kind BNers, but if you would like to leave a window ajar I could stock up with a little burglary on the side.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

I have read that some folks got tired of having people ask for samples of their perfumes, especially hard to find and discontinued ones. I have never been on the receiving end of such requests, but I can see why they would get tired of it!

I think some folks are self conscious about what they own, also: too many, too few, too costly, too cheap?

I like to see people's wardrobes for several reasons:

1. It helps me relate to them and understand their taste.
2. At times when I have had something to give away, it was helpful to see who had it on their wish list, or who once owned and loved a bottle but no longer had it.
3. Occasionally people ask for suggestions; being able to see what they have keeps me from recommending fragrances they already own or have already tried.
4. If I am thinking of buying a perfume but can't find out what I need to know from reviews, I can message a person and ask them a question about it. (Example: a few years ago, I needed to know whether Violettes de Toulouse was powdery or not. I messaged someone who was familiar with it and she was able to answer that for me, which led me to buy a bottle.)

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Le Grand Duc; "l love to fiddle with my wardrobe, it's always up to date." Lol! l can see you share my borderline OCD tendencies! Must say it hadn't even occured to me that anyone might not have compiled a wardrobe yet. l only joined a few days ago & have already spent many hours compiling mine, but then l love lists, as well as perfumes! Fair comment about not wanting to be burgled though, l too would be a little concerned about giving out my address, at least until l've been corresponding online for quite a while.

30 Roses; totally agree with your reasons for wanting to see other's wardrobes, & really appreciate you taking the time to help me with my test list, thanks! l take your point though if people feel hassled to provide samples. l wouldn't have thought of asking someone directly for samples, l would just post a request in the forum & see what happened if l was having trouble finding something. Guess l'm still a bit green being a newbie! By the way there's a thread on here about finding samples in the UK which l think will help, l've yet to investigate the sites mentioned but will be doing so ASAP.

Thanks to all of you for helping me out here!

PS l think it's a shame if people feel self conscious about their wardrobes, be loud & proud l say!

​​"What is this secret connection between the soul, and sea, clouds and perfumes? The soul itself appears to be sea, cloud and perfume..." - from Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Originally Posted by Le Grand Duc

I love to fiddle with my wardrobe, it's always up to date.
and I enjoy snooping around in others, too.

As for somebody not showing theirs, well, I have one possible explanation;
most collectors are notoriously private, and affraid to get their collections
stolen. I live in Denmark, not alot of basenoters here, but if I was British or
American, and had made several trades, so that lots of ppl had my address,
I'd be paranoid enough to think, that somebody might talk over themselves
somewhere ... sounds crazy, I know, but it could be the reason that some
haven't got their drobes visible?!
Imagine if somebody, maybe a semi-crucked personage, in desperate need of
cash, remembers Le Grand Duc's emmense parfume collection worth thousands
and thousands of dollars, and knows where it's located ... well, desperate ppl
do desperate things, need I say more?!

I collect all kinds of (expensive) crap, and I never let strangers into my realm!

But who would want to take your Poison? Or you could just throw some Hypnotic Poison at them.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Thanks for bringing this up teardrop, I have always been curious about the reasoning. (I too have plotted and schemed future purchases from peeking at others wardrobes.)

Although totally disorganized in most other areas- I'm also a wardrobe fiddler. I also keep an excel spreadsheet tracking purchase costs-I'm fascinated by the ratio of how much I have to spend on postage to get the product. Very silly, I know. Also have a spreadsheet of accummulated samples, cuz I don't put those on the wardrobe as "tried" until I actually sniff them.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

LOL! Trust me, that is the only area in my life anyone could possibly associate me with OCD. The sad thing is I can find the scent on paper but finding the actual bottle in my storage-starved little cottage, in an earthquake prone area, is very problematic.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Be mindfull of your words, young one ... or I'll shoot your feet off, too!
Just you try me, I will..! *rrrrr* My Poison Collection is very desirable!

Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto

You guys have guns too? COOL!

Actually, no! There are extremely strickt gun/weapon laws in Denmark.
If you are stopped on the street with a knife, you'll automatically get one
year in prison, for a first time offence, mind you!
I'll bet, if I shoot a burglar, I'll be the one serving the longest time - by far!

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

I haven't been a member long but had intended to check out the wardrobes of some of the more senior members one lazy saturday. Sometimes if a review intrigues me I'll follow it to their wardrobe or try to anyway.

My collection is still very small so I'm glad I've started logging them in now. I also log my SOTD along with other details in an Outfit Log of sorts. Not sure what it says about me that I log my outfits daily with shoes and accessories and add in my fragrance choice. I state whether or not the outfit was worth repeating and any changes I'd make to it in the future. I also have a column for notes and will list if anything out of the ordinary happened that day. It's the closest thing I've got to a journal.

It does sound a bit crazy typing that out, lol. I assume I'm in good company though as we've all taken one hobby or another to the extreme.

Last edited by Dressed&Scented; 13th September 2010 at 08:16 PM.
Reason: typos

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Originally Posted by teardrop

knit_at_nite, you are the OCD queen, l bow to you in awe!

Wait a minute, wait a minute … have you looked at my wardrobe pages (including longevity stars, which now require code-fiddling to activate, topped by photos, supplementary lists and dingbat symbols). Now that's compulsion for you.

As an aside to Le Grand Duc: Hey, we may finally have figured out what I'm really queen of.

Last edited by Quarry; 13th September 2010 at 09:14 PM.

In a world where 6 million people are added each month, every landscape matters.

l have two questions; how do you add those frags at the top that aren't in the directory? Also, l see you've tried one from the Coconut Hut, is it any good? l found their website recently & was intrigued, as l love tropical flower scents like tiare & frangipani!

​​"What is this secret connection between the soul, and sea, clouds and perfumes? The soul itself appears to be sea, cloud and perfume..." - from Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Originally Posted by 30 Roses

I have read that some folks got tired of having people ask for samples of their perfumes, especially hard to find and discontinued ones. I have never been on the receiving end of such requests, but I can see why they would get tired of it!

Wait....what??? We can ask people for samples??? Why didn't anyone tell me about this when I joined???

Anyway, I don't have a very extensive wardrobe, because I don't have a very extensive collection. I try to update my "I own this" group and my "wishlist" group. The "tried this" and "to test" group is harder to keep up with, since I like to sample (otherwise, how would I know what to put on my wishlist?).

I'm in awe of those of you who keep track so beautifully. I want to be you when I grow up.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Originally Posted by teardrop

l have two questions; how do you add those frags at the top that aren't in the directory? Also, l see you've tried one from the Coconut Hut, is it any good? l found their website recently & was intrigued, as l love tropical flower scents like tiare & frangipani!

Someone sent me the Coconut Hut Island Embrace sample as a "throw-in," and I was impressed with it. I wasn't moved to purchase a bottle, but liked it enough to want to keep the sample as a reminder of its deliciousness.

In order to add stuff on top of a wardrobe, click on the "Settings" link at the top of your wardrobe and enter what you want within the window for each wardrobe section.

Here is the coding that results as the display on my primary wardrobe page as an example of what you can do:

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Originally Posted by coopmom

Wait....what??? We can ask people for samples??? Why didn't anyone tell me about this when I joined???

Good one! LOL

Seriously though, there are many places one can get samples (Luckyscent, Aedes, TPC etc) and a number of threads about this topic. And don't forget that many BNers also list samples that they wish to sell or swap in the BN marketplace (although I find that male type scents predominate.)

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Originally Posted by 30 Roses

Good one! LOL

Seriously though, there are many places one can get samples (Luckyscent, Aedes, TPC etc) and a number of threads about this topic. And don't forget that many BNers also list samples that they wish to sell or swap in the BN marketplace (although I find that male type scents predominate.)

There's nothing wrong with your wardrobe by the way!

You should see my wishlist at TPC. It's a mile long. Everytime someone mentions a scent with notes I like, or that I think I'd like, or that I don't know if I'd like but I want to find out..well you get the picture. I'll never be able to pay for it all.

And i haunt the swap board....I haven't actually begged someone to swap with me yet, but the day is probably not too far off.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Originally Posted by coopmom

You should see my wishlist at TPC. It's a mile long. Everytime someone mentions a scent with notes I like, or that I think I'd like, or that I don't know if I'd like but I want to find out..well you get the picture. I'll never be able to pay for it all.

And i haunt the swap board....I haven't actually begged someone to swap with me yet, but the day is probably not too far off.

You are where I was about 6 years ago. Keep in mind that 7 years ago I had no experience or contact with fragrance at all — zero. Now my "tried" wardrobe lists more than 1,000 scents (slow learning curve, dull nose, picky tastes). Most of my sampling was courtesy of makeupalley.com swaps. BN's wardrobe function has proved priceless in keeping track. I'm so grateful for these resources.

In a world where 6 million people are added each month, every landscape matters.

Re: Why do some basenoters hide their wardrobes?

Quarry, your wardrobe is a masterpiece - I'm in awe! And I love how succinct your tastes are - I wish I could get such a firm grasp on mine.

Science is not only compatible with spirituality, it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in an immensity of light-years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty, and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual...Carl Sagan